The Breaking Charade
by mentafan
Summary: Description of the missing scenes from 6x20 ( Il Tavolo Bianco) twisted in my own way. Jisbon in the later chapters. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone. So I'm up with another story after the awesome episode we had. Boy, it was real emotional. I had tears in my eyes…that last scene. Ah! **

**I decided, till I'm waiting for the next episode, I'll try to get myself through the week by writing this fic.**

**Just so you know, the first few chapters will be inspired by the episode itself and I'll try to give a description of the scenes that were missed in the show. After that we'll move on to the things that'll happen after the episode and hopefully some more Jisbon.**

* * *

He opened the box of Folger's after a long struggle with the seal. He had especially brought the coffee for Lisbon this morning. Putting his Earl Grey on the kettle, he started to brew the finely grained brown beans. It had been quite a while since he made a beverage for her, something he was quite accustomed to back at the CBI. He had decided he'd do it every morning from now; show her that he still cared about her so that it won't be the last cup he made for her.

His line of thought was breached by the loud whistle from the kettle. Reaching out to the cupboard overhead, he took the finest of cups and poured their respective poisons.

She barely noticed his efforts as she continued to explore the exquisite places in Washington which had every possibility of becoming her home … their home.

"Decided what?" she questioned, knowing exactly what he was asking about.

A futile attempt to jog the memory of the mentalist with a perfect memory palace. She needed him to realize that she was actually leaving. Last night his expressions seemed as though he didn't heard this fact quite well.

"What's worse than boredom?" _Is he asking or stating this? _Lisbon thought. There was surely a worse thing than boredom – it's called sadness. Sadness of being thousands of miles apart from the man you love and knowing that there's no way back.

Within no seconds her frustration changed to fear as she saw Jane being lashed out through the bullpen in cuffs. Stark horror caught hold of her, a sense of déjà vu she felt at the moment. She had dreamed of this day ever since she could remember. And now it was here; the past had finally caught with Jane for a payback of his karma.

A chill ran down her spine and she clutched the envelope with all her force. Hastily, she slammed off the PC and went looking for Abbott. He was the only one who had any power to influence this situation. When she failed to find him, she finally decided to take the matter in her hands and go to Dallas. It was all she could do.

Stepping on to the elevator with Kim, her hands involuntarily moved to the cross in her neck and she took a moment to pray for Jane, like she'd always done for the past ten years.

Kim noticed her tension. She had never looked so worried. She rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly "It's gonna be okay, Lisbon."

"Yeah." She whispered. She wasn't convinced.

"Hey! Remember it's Jane." She shifted closer and slightly nudged Lisbon with her elbows "It's the jury we need to be worried about. I'm sure he might be annoying them with his mind games right now."

"You wish." She smiled a little, Kim wasn't wrong. It was Jane after all - The Annoying Machine.

Lisbon felt the phone buzz in her pocket. Kim saw the name as she pulled out the phone. It was Marcus. Without giving a second thought, she pressed the red button.

She had much important things to do right now.

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**A/N: I know it's a bit short . I'll increase the chapter length as we move forward. Let me know if you like it or if it's worth continuing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey Everyone! Thanks a lot for your kind reviews. So in this chapter I tried to rationalize Lisbon's words – "You picked a great time to start following orders." Enjoy!**

* * *

They both waited in the corridor of the Dallas Court House. Kim sat quietly on one of the cold metal chairs bolted to the floor as she toyed with her phone while Lisbon ambulated across the ends of the lobby. The situation had a familiar air to it. It felt like waiting outside the principal's office; the good kids had been summoned to tattle on the pranks of the mischievous boy in the class.

"Agent Kim Fischer", a dim and lean figure approached her holding a file in his hands from which he read out the name.

Kim stood up "Yep!"

"The meeting is about to begin. You are required inside the room."

Kim looked at Lisbon who seemed equally worried, probably more. Jane had always been her weak spot.

Lisbon stopped her oscillations "Would you please give us a minute?" , she said to the secretary.

The secretary looked at her as though she'd asked for a piece of his cupcake. "Make it quick. Ms. Faulk does not like to be kept waiting." He snarled and closed the door on them.

Lisbon turned to Kim "Umm…" she was hesitating "I just… when they ask about Red John. Could you not…"

"Hey"Kim broke her off in the middle " You don't need to worry about it. Jane is family. I would never…"

"Agent Fischer" the loud voice screeched through the back of the door disrupting her words. Guess, Faulk didn't like to wait after all.

"You should go." Lisbon spoke; her voice was shaking "Good Luck in there."

Before turning the doorknob, Kim looked at her once again "It's gonna be just fine, Lisbon."

The thought of Jane inside the prison bars made her wanna throw up. She grabbed the nearest wall and leaned against it. Sometimes she'd question the rationality of the system for which she worked every day. Justice for a serial killer was just as paradoxical as it sounded.

She looked at her cell. There were 12 missed calls from Marcus. Guilt surged up inside her that made her pick up the next call coming from him.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Lisbon. She has to know it's just a scam."

"No you're not gonna do that."

"She's my partner. She needs to know the truth."

"She needs to know other truths too. But I don't see you telling her that."

"She might be worried, Abbott."

"Don't you think she has other things to be worried about nowadays?"

Jane smiled. There was a sarcastic tone about it."You mean DC?"

"More like Marcus. Or are you worried she'd narc on you at the court room?"

"Oh Please! She'd rather die than do that. She's always been faithful to me."

"And her being with Marcus proves exactly that." Abbott raised his brows.

"She's is an independent woman, she has every right to choose where she wants to be."

"And what do _you _want exactly?"

"Right now, I want to tell her it's all a charade. She might do something stupid."

"Then tell her that what you've been doing was a charade. Coz I am sure she's about to do something really stupid."

"I was talking about the case."

"Well, so was I."

"You know what Abbott." Jane stood up from the couch and rested his tea on the table "I don't need to tell her anything. I trust her and she'll do what's right."

Abbott sighed as he heard the door close. Jane might be the smartest person he'd known but when it comes to love he was just as stupid as every other man on the street.

* * *

"Hey! I'm sorry I couldn't pick up your call earlier. I was busy."

"It's all right. I just wanted to catch up with you. How about we meet for lunch?"

"I'm sorry. But I'm in Dallas right now. Not sure I'll it make to Austin in time.'

"What are you doing in Dallas?" he sounded surprised "Is everything okay?"

"It's Jane. He's…" she couldn't make herself to say those words.

"Lisbon? Are you there?"

"Jane… he's being indicted for murder. I'm here at the courthouse."

"For Red John, huh. Don't you think he had it coming?"

Lisbon wasn't shocked to hear his words. Sane man like Marcus don't go down the path of revenge, it was hard for him to understand Jane. But she did, so well that the prospect of revenge didn't feel wrong to her anymore. Jane had really rubbed off on her after all these years. Sometimes hearing Marcus talk reminded her of the way she used to be before she met Jane. Life had been straightforward and uncomplicated back then.

"He did the right thing, Marcus. And I don't think he deserves this." Her care for Jane could be clearly felt in those words.

Marcus was taken aback by her authoritarian voice. "All right! How about you text me when you reach here? I owe you a date for last night." He tried to steer their conversation to something light.

She wasn't listening to him anymore as she saw Kim coming out of the room.

"I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Love you." He spoke but only to hear the phone hang up on him.

"How did it go?" Lisbon stood up from her chair.

"Faulk's a bitch. But I didn't say a word."

Lisbon led out a sigh of relief.

Kim looked at the phone in her hands "Tell me you talked to Abbott."

"No. It was Marcus. Abbott isn't answering his cell." Lisbon replied as they both made their way out of the courthouse.

"Well, what did he say?"

"Who? Marcus?"

"Yeah, I mean have you decided yet?"

Lisbon opened the car door and let herself in. She probably had a lot of questions to answer to Kim on their three hour journey back to Austin.

The questions she hasn't even answered to herself yet.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everybody. First of all, a big yippee for the renewal, I cannot be more happy. Well actually I can, if only someone showed me the finale right now. Lol! **

**Also, I really loved the last episode, the scene with Cho and Lisbon was amazing. And that ending, is Marcus out of his mind? And yeah! If anyone is looking for a fic with the old team in it, you can check out my story 'Heads and Tails' and see how Grace helps Lisbon decide about DC.**

**Enough ranting, I should come to the story now. Well, this chapter deals with Jane and Lisbon's conversation at the diner-**

"**I'm sorry I overreacted."**

"**Did Marcus help you decide that?"**

**Find out what happened between Pike and Lisbon that made her say it.**

* * *

Her heart leapt with joy when she saw a familiar figure sitting on the couch. Honestly, it was the first time she felt so relieved since the morning. A part of her wanted to leap across the table and hug him but she controlled her emotions like she always did.

Instead of saying – "Thank God you're okay!" all she could manage to speak was- "What are you doing here?"

And judging by the look on Jane's face, it didn't took her long to figure out that it was all a charade from none other than the master of deception himself. She felt cheated and betrayed… all over again. In no time the face that reflected relief and joy turned angry and frustrated.

Of all the spiteful things Jane did he had always been faithful to her. Of course, he had lied to her many times before but only to protect her. This was different; there was no one to protect here and still he'd chosen to lie.

"Operation Jury-Scam." Abbott spoke proudly.

She could not understand what was there to be so proud about. The man had just withheld vital information, scared the hell out of them and sent them to a three hour trip for what he calls – "Maintaining Authenticity". For Christ's sake they were FBI agents not some actors for the CBS.

She tried to avoid looking at Jane as Abbott continued to brief them about the case. She was afraid she'd either break down before him or punch him for what he'd done.

Furiously, she strode out of the room when Abbott dispelled them. "What about you Lisbon? Did you snitch on me?" he asked catching up to her.

_I just plead the fifth for you, idiot!_ She wanted to say. She couldn't understand why he would even ask such a question? He knew she would do anything to protect him. He had always known that.

Or is it because she was dating Pike now? Did he lie to test whether she was still faithful to him or not? She felt the anger boiling inside of her. "Read the transcripts." She said and marched towards her desk.

Before she thought she'd lose her temper , a familiar voice diverted her attention.

"Am I interrupting?" Marcus spoke as he came closer to her side. Actually, he was interrupting but she couldn't bother less. She could do anything to get out of there right now.

She leaned closer to Marcus and held his hands. A gesture that made Jane uncomfortable and Marcus surprised. Lisbon was the last person to display any kind of public affection.

"I am more than ready for lunch."

She didn't know why she said that, she was feeling anything but hungry. Truth be told, she felt as though she'd throw up any minute.

But she chose to lie this time. Just like he did.

* * *

"What was that?" Marcus asked as he pushed the elevator button.

"What was what?"

"That look you just gave Jane. What was that about?"

"Jane is not being indicted for murder. It was part of an operation to catch a killer." She spoke plainly, a hint of sadness in her tone.

"Well, that's good news for Jane, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." she spoke but her voice was ignorant "Hey, how about we order something instead of going out to a restaurant?" she tried to change the topic.

"You wanna eat here?"

Lisbon shifted closer to him "Actually," she reached out and grabbed his lapels "I was thinking more like at my place" her voice was sensuous as she whispered against his ears.

"All right." He said and gulped the tension in his throat.

* * *

The loud breaths filled the silence of the room as they lay tired beneath the sheets. It was hypnotizing and the world seemed closing in on her. She went numb, devoid of all the pain, the sadness and the emotions. She closed her eyes trying to hold on to the numbness as long as she could. A tear slipped down her cheek. Thoughts and feelings were no longer bearable; numbness was. It was like being dead; only, she could still see the fan reeling above the ceiling.

"Whoa… that was…" he was still panting "amazing."

He looked at Lisbon; she didn't bother to hear what he said. Silently, she crawled to her side and clutched the sheets for warmth. She felt cold and disgusting, it was then she saw her life resonating much with Jane's – both lying to fill their hollow. He did it with her and she did it with Marcus.

Marcus shifted to her side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't respond to his touch, just tilted her head to face him. "I need to go to work." she spoke and untangled herself from his arms. Collecting the sheets she made her way to the bathroom.

He felt something vibrate against his arm. He shifted and snuggled out Lisbon's phone. It was Jane. The call went miss just like the other twelve ones from him. It felt a bit awkward but he dismissed the thought thinking it must be work.

He resisted the urge to read her messages, the ones from Jane, and when the phone beeped again, it read out – "I am sorry, Lisbon."

He heard the footsteps approach and quickly tossed the cell beneath the pillow. "Hey! Can't we stay for a little more time?" he spoke, supporting his head on the elbow.

She didn't respond. Her hands were busy untangling her messed up locks.

"Hey, Lisbon! Is everything all right?"

His voice caught her attention "Yeah… everything's fine" she answered putting a decent smile on her face "Why?"

"No, it's just… you seem a little distracted."

"It's nothing." She tried to wave him off "Just work-stuff."

"Is it about Jane?" he could no longer keep it inside "I'm sorry I just… He's been calling you ever since we came here and you didn't pick up. You never do that."

Lisbon was caught by surprise. But then she remembered she was not the only detective in the room. It only seemed apt for him to ask this.

Looking at the concern in his eyes, she decided to give in to her feelings.

"We're partners, Marcus. He lied to me about the indictment. I just thought it would have been better if he'd told me."

"Look, I know you two have been working together for a long time. But that doesn't mean he has to tell you everything." Even though he was just trying to be nice but his words sounded harsh to her ears.

"I mean you're just friends and it's not like you are his boss anymore. He was probably doing what Abbott told him to do. And that's good isn't it? He's trying to be mature."

"Jane, trying to be mature. Yeah right!" she chuckled and her eyes filled with unexpected tears.

Marcus noticed it but stifled his emotions. "I think you should be happy for him and let him do the things the way he wants. Maybe he just felt it wouldn't make a difference if he told you."

That was the last thing she wanted to hear. But maybe Marcus was right; she hadn't exactly been giving him any attention ever since she started dating Marcus, well not explicitly. She couldn't even remember the last time they went for a pizza or shared a sundae together.

"I guess you're right. He probably did what he thought was best. I'm no one to question that." The words seemed a lot harder to say than she'd thought.

She glanced at her watch; it was already past the lunch time. "I really gotta go now. I'm late."

"No" he sighed and snuggled deeper into the bed. "Stay for a little while."

"I wish I could but I really have to go." she said, trying to make a sad face.

"Well, how about I come over for dinner tonight?"

"I would like that." She bit her lips and reached out to the floor to grab her jacket "Don't you have to go to work?"

"Nope, all arts have been saved for today. Just paperwork and Jones can handle that for me."

"Wow! Talk about being in art-squad huh." she sighed "I wish I could have such free time."

"You can. Just say yes to DC and we'll save some Picasso and Da Vinci every day. Together."

"Well, we'll talk about that over dinner tonight, okay?" she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Okay."

"I'll head out now. The key is on the shelf downstairs if you need."

Picking up her bag she went out of the room but only to come back a minute later.

"I almost forgot, I left my locket in the washroom." She rushed to get it.

Just as she was about to step out again Marcus called out "Well, you left one more thing dear." He held out her phone and waved it "Here's your cell."

"Oh thank god!" she bent forward "Or else I'd have to come back again."

"Well, in that case I shouldn't have told you." He said playfully as Lisbon struggled to take the cell from his hands.

"Makes me wonder, who do have at number one on your speed dial, huh?"

"It's you. Now come on, give it to me. I'm getting late. Abbott would not be happy."

He capitulated and handed it over to Lisbon. She reached out to kiss him once again before heading out.

Marcus watched her go away as sadness traced the lines of his face.

It was Jane. He knew it. He had checked it himself.

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**A/N: Okay, that's it for now. Tell me how you liked it. I'd love to hear from you guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay people. So it's probably late but My oh my! What an awesome finale it was. I still can't get over the confession and that kiss, Ah! Season 7, please come soon. **

**So now coming to the story, first of all, I'm sorry for the late post. I've been really busy lately. **

**This chapter revolves around the Jisbon savior and the most fantastic shipper – Dennis Abbott. Also, it explores the bond between him and Fischer with a hint of why he ships Jisbon this much.**

* * *

"What was that?"

"What was what?

"A nice dinner on the FBI. Seriously?"

"Well, you sound jealous, Kim. Anything I need to be worried about?"

"I'm not jealous, Abbott." Kim adjusted her posture to a more dominating streak."And since when did you get so generous and that too on Jane?"

"Really, you don't think I'm generous?" He spoke with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Don't you try to guilt me into anything. I've been working with you , for what like ten years now?" she asserted "I didn't see you sending your employees on dates before, why now?"

"Ah! So you're still upset about me disrupting your dinner with James that night."

"That was like eight years ago, Dennis. You still remember that?" She was definitely amazed "And you weren't even my boss."

She beamed and he returned. Leaning further back on the chair, she remembered the days when she was a new recruit to the FBI. It all seemed like a distant memory now. Even with the brief partnership they had, she had always looked up to him as a mentor and a guide. He was the most dedicated and focused one in the group and it didn't came as a surprise when he was promoted as the head of the team.

She had occasionally caught the glimpse of his ambition in Cho, and it was probably the reason Dennis personally sought to offer him a job at the FBI.

"Are you afraid Jane will leave if she goes to DC?" she continued.

"I wouldn't worry about that. You see, Jane will stay here just to show that he can do fine without her. The man's got an ego. "

"It's Jane we're talking about. He sticks around only because he gets to see her every day."

"So you noticed that too, huh?" he stated and inclined his weight on the armrest.

"Who hasn't?" she said, waving her hands "You know, there's a bet going on whether Jane will confess or she'll leave with Pike."

A sudden buzz disrupted their conversation. Abbott pulled his cell and his face lightened up. Kim observed the sudden radiance in his demeanor. He hit a few keys in excitement and rested the gadget on the table; the smile still tugging the corners of his lips.

"Rebecca huh?" she teased.

He sighed but the grin refused to leave his face "Yes. I guess it's my turn to do the dishes tonight. Her mom's coming in."

"You know, I had never thought you two would get together. I mean, all you did was to annoy her during every case we were assigned" she chuckled "Remember the McCoy case, she punched you on stage, in front of two thousand people."

She looked up, trying to recall the exact sequence of the events "Boy! That was some punch."

Abbott laughed at the thought; he really was an ass to her back then.

"Well, I realized that I wanted to annoy her for the rest of my life." his eyes filled with unexpected moisture.

"You don't say. She told me all about your extravagant proposal, you know." She burst into laughter.

"Oh come on! It was romantic."

"Yeah right! Choking on a champagne glass sounds about quite romantic."

"Well, I didn't mean to garrote her with the ring. I just thought she might like it."

"You're just lucky she didn't swallow it. Even you have to admit Dennis that it was a cliché."

"Isn't love itself a cliché? It's our feelings that makes it interesting."

"I'm happy for you two." She sighed and gazed at him "I know she wasn't easy to get but you fought hard for her."

"Well, if you truly love someone, the last thing you should do is keep it inside."

They shared a brief moment of appreciation before Kim glanced at the clock. She had an interrogation to do in five. She got up and collected the files " See you later, Dennis. It was nice to talk to you."

"Hey!" he hesitated "I'm sorry I… I didn't take out enough time to talk to you after… "

"That's because you're an amazing boss, Dennis." She cut him off "You were always meant to be."

Before she could step out, Abbott called "Why don't you count me in?"

Kim turned "Count you in for what?"

"That bet you were just talking about…"

"Ah!" she traced her fingers along the edge of the files "So what do wanna bet for?"

He shifted his sight to his wedding picture resting by the table and adjusted it to face him "I guess you know my answer to that. Don't you?"

She didn't respond, just smiled and made her way out of the room.

And that made it one more point for Jane.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you didn't find the Kim and Dennis angle too OOC. I just thought they gotta be close just like the old team was with Lisbon and Lisbon was with Minnelli. **

**Tell me how you liked it. Reviews are always welcomed :) **


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